Russian, Israeli Tourists Occupy Goan Villages

A member of the Indian parliament’s upper house voiced concern over Russian and Israeli tourists occupying villages in the Indian resort state of Goa, IANS news agency reported on Tuesday. “Russians and Israelis have occupied certain villages in a manner which cannot be called ideal tourism and they indulge in business activities in violation of our county's laws,” the agency quoted Shantaram Naik as saying. He said this dangerous trend must be resisted and called on the Indian authorities to resort to actions protecting the lands of Goa. “Goa's precious lands need to be protected and we cannot allow any Goan village to be called 'Israel Village' or 'Russian Village'," Naik said. Some 40,000 Russian tourists flock to the beaches of Goa annually, most of them during the tourist season between October and March. The number of Israel tourists stands at 4,000 annually, the agency said.